[Merl]

I may be posting this in the wrong place but here goes. For the benefit of the people that has fruit trees I put a cheep toy snake in each tree and move them on a different limb every 2 to 3 weeks. I don't have any problem with birds. Also I have used a short piece of rope with a piece of tape on each end but I like the snakes best because the way they are made they wrap around the limb better and the wind does not blow them off. I get the snakes at the dollar store for about $1.oo I have used the same ones for 3 years .I hope this will help anyone that has bird problem . I have peach . pear , cherry , and apple trees.45 total.Any questions please ask or e mail me:

 

[beepro]

I have a question. How do snakes fit into beekeeping? Do they scare away the bee eating birds also?
And if I put these snakes on my berry patch do they scare away the birds that eat my ripen strawberries too?
How many snakes per tree should I put on?

 

[Acebird]

I can't imagine something that doesn't move or make noise will be effective against birds. Farmers around here use propane cannons to scare birds.

 

[Bee Bliss]

Bees like fruit blossoms....

1 mulberry tree
5 pears
4 plums
1 pluot
1 edible crab apple
2 apples
2 sour cherry
1 sweet cherry - yellow w/ blush
various berry bushes (currants, thornless blackberries, gooseberries, blueberries, etc.)


I only have a problem with the birds wanting the ripe red sour cherries and the mulberries. Will try the snake idea when the cherries start to turn red. We have more of a bug problem with the other fruits. I was always hoping the birds would eat most of the bugs.

Want to try the kaolin clay or dormant oil spray on the apples at least. We got codling moth and apple maggot. Recently summers we have noticed the plum curculio.

Read that most of the fruit pests fly at night (I think they fly all the time but idk) so we ran a bug zapper at night. It had bugs in it, but by far the most of them were mosquitoes! Lots of them!

 

[Dan. NY]

Hmm. Interesting idea. Wonder if it would keep the deer away. I dont have issues (yet..) with birds. Deer though..

4 Asian pears, 2 bartlett types
9 apples
6 peaches
60+ grape vines

I did have squirrels eat my peach crop one year, very early on. Not happy that year. Wonder if the snakes would keep the squirrels away also. I did happen to notice one day a small snake had somehow climbed my plastic deer fence. Fence is maybe 7 feet high and it was close to the top at maybe 5ft from the ground. It had wrapped itself around the plastic somehow and was hanging out there. Maybe better eating that high up. Bee related? No but who cares.

 

[Merl]

I have a question. How do snakes fit into beekeeping? Do they scare away the bee eating birds also?
And if I put these snakes on my berry patch do they scare away the birds that eat my ripen strawberries too?
How many snakes per tree should I put on?

I put one snake for each tree but more might be ok. One works for me so that is all I use. My trees are about 40 ft from my hives but the snakes are not alive so they can't eat anything but the birds don't know that and I am not going to tell them but that is why I move them to a different limb every few weeks.

 

[Merl]

I don't know about strawberries or squirrels Don't have that problem I use a electric fence for deer Don't know about anything except peach cherry apple , pear. I have 2 plum trees but they are not producing yet, The snakes may not work for you bit it does me. I also have chicken with my peaches . They take care of the Peach Boar . I still have to spray for worms that find peaches and a little on apples and Cedar rust . I hope this works for you as well as it does me

 

[Merl]

I use a electric fence for deer but I have been told the best is Lion manure available from almost ant zoo if you are close enough. I would like to know more about if anyone has ever tried it.

 

[minz]

I did not notice the correlation between the chickens and the peach bore, now that you mention it I have not had a bore problem in a couple of years.
I do have an issue with starlings moving into the grapes and cleaning the entire place in a week. I wonder if the snakes would work for that? I do find the Millar flag tape works for the blueberries as long as it is not left up all year. Cherries are too tall to put the tape on.
I think that the subject of how this fits into bee keeping may have just meant that it should have gone into the Garden forum section rather than the bee keeping?

 

[beepro]

Humm, good idea for the squirrel problem as I do have one on my almond and persimmon trees. What color is the snake?
I am sure it will work on my strawberry patch too. Just push in a tree branch and put the snake on it.

 

[Merl]

Humm, good idea for the squirrel problem as I do have one on my almond and persimmon trees. What color is the snake?
I am sure it will work on my strawberry patch too. Just push in a tree branch and put the snake on it.

The snakes are all different color .I use the toy snakes from the Dollar store but be sure and move them because when the birds find out they aren't real they won't work. yes you are right . The it was placed in the wrong place. The peach bore usually young trees and the chickens got the bores before they killed the trees. I don't need them now for trees. Just eggs. Haven't found a way to cross a peach with a egg.LOL

 

[treetrunk]

I can't imagine something that doesn't move or make noise will be effective against birds. Farmers around here use propane cannons to scare birds.

I have a scare crow that does the robot when you play music

 

[treetrunk]

I did not notice the correlation between the chickens and the peach bore, now that you mention it I have not had a bore problem in a couple of years.
I do have an issue with starlings moving into the grapes and cleaning the entire place in a week. I wonder if the snakes would work for that? I do find the Millar flag tape works for the blueberries as long as it is not left up all year. Cherries are too tall to put the tape on.
I think that the subject of how this fits into bee keeping may have just meant that it should have gone into the Garden forum section rather than the bee keeping?

Starling trap... We need to band together and cull the herd near cherry harvest. I have a nice Rainier (Favorite) that finally produced a good crop. It was loaded at noon and cleaned out by 5pm the same day.

 

[Merl]

What is a PLOUT ? I thought I had heard of every fruit that is grown in this country but I guess I am wrong.

 

[treetrunk]

What is a PLOUT ? I thought I had heard of every fruit that is grown in this country but I guess I am wrong.

I think its a PLUm and an apricOT cross. I see a new blendo everytime I look through the bare root isle. I think Monsanto has something to do with the grafting...... Just kidding.

 

[green2btree]

This may belong in the gardening section, but I am glad it is on the forum, where ever it belongs. Really looking forward to trying the snake thing this year on the sour cherries. The birds don't go crazy for them like the sweets, but my husbands doesn't want to lose a single cherry and the birds nets are 1. a pain in the butt to take on and off 2. catch and break small twigs when you do, and 3. kill snakes. I had to rescue a bull snake that got caught in the net last year by cutting the net, the snakes can start to crawl through, then get stuck because they can't back up because of their scales. A week later I found another snake dead that I didn't find in time. Also, I wonder if chickens would work against plum curculios? I haven't had a big problem with them in the cherries yet here at my new house, but I am afraid that it is only a matter of time. Back in Illinois I had an orchard of cherries that got really hit hard by them eventually.

JC

 

[minz]

I had a starling trap up last year but it rotted off the post (plywood). I was looking at the ones that they use at the airport. They kill them by the 100’s each day. Looks like a green house made of chicken wire with a dip in the center.